Percolator.



J. R. HOLLEY.

PBncoLAToB.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I, 1908. 906,629.

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

WITNEssEs.- j

IN VEN TOR.

ATT NEY.

fr. I .ZZ 28 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JULIAN R. HOLLEY, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN SILVER COM- PANY, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

PERCOLATOR.

Specification o! Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

Application filed February 1, 1908. Serial No. 418,865.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JULIAN R. HoLLEY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Bristol, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Percolators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to percolators or 4similar apparatus, and it has for one of its objects the provision of an im roved device for bringing small quantities of iquids rapidly to a boilin point and to project the same above the leve of the main body of the liquid in the vessel or pot. l

My invention has furthermore for its object the provision of means for practically isolating the steam-generating device and the ejector-tube connected therewith from the liquid supply in the vessel, so that the heat necessary for the roper operation of such de.- vice may not be iused or prematurely lost.

My invention has, also, for its object the provision of improved means for holding some of the several separable elements of the percolator in place on the vessel.

Further objects will be found in the general organization and construction of the device, as a whole, as will be hereinafter described, and the means for the attainment of which will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Briefly stated, the present invention is especially applicable to the class of devices generally known as cofeeercolators in which a uantity of groun or powdered coffee is p aced in a tray above the water in the pot, and small quantities of such water.

are heated and rojected to a point above the coee, so that t is hotwater will then be distributed over the same and gradually drip back into the main body of liquid in the rece tacle.

n order to establish the process of ebullition, oiwhat is usually understood as pumping, it is of vital importance; firstly, to isolate the heatin chamber or pump from the main body of t e liquid in the receptacle, as far as it may be practicable; secondly, to concentrate the heat of the flame directly to the heatin chamber; and thirdly, to organize the fee ducts through which fresh liquid is admitted'into the heating chamber in such a manner that the liability of the heated liquid returning directly into the main body of the liquid in the receptacle will be reduced to a minimum and so that the steam pressure generated in the heating chamber may become fully effective in ej ecting the water from the ejector tube and over the material in the tray. In other words, the construction of tlie heatinr chamber should be such that liquid from the main receptacle or rcs- 'ervoir may readily enter into the chamber, but at the same time be restricted from returning into the reservoir under sudden pressure-impulses generated in the chamber'.

The present invention accomplishes the several desired results, and without requiring any check-valve or other device of that nature, as clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters denote similar parts, and in which- Figure 1 is a geneial view of a percolator embodying my invention, Fig. 2 re resents a central section of the pump of t e device, Fig. 3 shows a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2', Fig. 4 illustrates a modification of the pump shown in F ig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In the drawings, 10 denotes the liquidreceptacle which may be of any preferred form, and is adapted to receive at its top a holder or percolator 11 having a foraminous bottom or tray 12 on which the ground coffee is placed, and also rovided with a centrallydisposed tube 13 t e top of which has a series of a ertures through which any overflow liquid in the holder 11 may return into the main reservoir 10. The upper portion of the percolator shell 11 is adapted to receive a perforated distributing plate 14, which', in turn, may be covered by a hood 15 to prevent the hot water, as it is projected upward by the pump in the reservoir, from spattervto the bottom plate 19 and preferably having a screw-thread connection with a base plate 22 which serves as a base for the entire receptacle to stand upon, and at the same time resents a considerable bulk of metal to absorlb and conduct the heat from the flame to the bottom of the cup, while at thesame time the lateral expanse of the base p late 22 is sufficient toguard the bottom of the reservoir against direct contact with the flame. In order to isolate this heating cup or chamber from the liquid in the receptacle 10, I provide a hood 25 the top plate 26 of which is connected in an air-tight manner to an airtube 27 having at its lower end an air chamber 28, the bottom plate of which is preferably arched or in the shape of a hollow sphere to constitute, in conjunction with the cupbottom 19, a primary heating chamber P into which liquid is admitted from the main reservoir, as follows: Leading from the hoodcover 26, and open at its ends, is a liquidsupplytube 30 which permits the liquid to descend from the reservoir into the isolated cup C and thence between the wall 18 thereof and the outside of the air chamber 28 into the bottom of said cup, until the liquid level in the cup is even with the bottom end of the tube 30 and seals the same, it being remembered of course that the air coniined in the upper portion of the hood 26 will prevent any further rise of the liquid.

In order to balance the liquid columns in the cup C and the air space existing between the wall 16 and the inside of the hood, I deem it advanta eous to provide small openings 31 near-the ower edge of the hood 25, so that, furthermore, the latter may rest on the reservoir bottom 10 without interfering with the passage of the liquid.

The particular urpose of the primary heating chamber 11) is to expose a certain quantity of liquid to the heat preplaratory to its entrance into a secondary eating or ebullition chamber S in which the 'water will be exposed to heat practically from all sides and consequently rapidly converted into steam.

Centrally-disposed relatively to the secondary heating chamber S, and tightly connected with the bottom late of the air chamber 28 is a vertical tu e 35, in which the liquid level is substantially on line with the level in the, main reservoir lO (see Fig. 1), this tube constituting what may be termed an ejector terminating with its lower end below the level of the lower end of the inlet tube 30, and through which the column of ,liquid contained therein will be recipitated upward by the sudden and vio ent generation of steam in the secondary heating chamber or well S. In order to minimize the loss of propelling energy of the steam I provide in the secondary heater a' nozzle member N having a preferably tapered s out 36 the u per outlet of which 1s pre erably slight y smaller than the inner diameter of the ejector tube 35; while the lower portion of said nozzle is bored somewhat larger than the size of the s out, thus forming a lower pocket in which t e liquid is rapidly converted into steam the force of which will serve to condense and project the smaller quantity of liquid contained in the spout portion of the nozzle directly into the lower end of the ejector tube, therefore raising the liquid column therein until the force of the steam has spent itself, whereupon the nozzle pocket will again receive a fresh supply through the narrow space existing between the upper end of he spout and the lower end of the ejector tu e.

Experience has demonstrated the fact that after the metal portions of the pump have once been heated sufficiently to generate steam in the well pocket S, this generation of steam takes place very rapidly, with the result that the successive ejecting impulses of the steam follow very closely upon each other, each impulse throwing out a i quantity of liquid which at least equals that contained in the spout portion of the nozzle N.

It will be understood that the fact of the liquid being heated in the primary chamber before entering the secondary chamber, will naturally be conducive in lessening the time which would ordinarily be required if such liquid should enter the secondary chamber in a cold condition.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the steam generated in the secondary chamber has, perse, no ossible exit other than through the spout, an inasmuch as the liquid in the spout is rapidly thrown directly into the ejector tube, the liability of Waste or diffusion of energy is naturally minimized, so that the pump will perform its function rapidly and with considerable volume.

While in the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3, liquid is admitted into the primary chamber P in a very thin film as determined by the s ace fi, eXistin between the outer surface o the air cham er 28 and the inner surface of the cup-wall 18, this space being sufficiently narrow to prevent escape of steam through the liquid film therein, I have shown in Fi s. 4 and 5 a modification, in which the liqui passes from the main reservoir into the hood 26", filling the s ace between the inner surface thereof and t e outer surface of the flange 16, and traversin the air space 20 through one or more sma l conduit tubes 30a so as to enter the pocket or cu C in which the air chamber 28a fits and ottoms, the liqluid passin through one or more vertica ly-dispose ducts e" into the primary heatchamber P. n

t is, of course, evident that b virtue of the air s aces and air chambers w 'ch are interpose between the heating chambers and the main li uid supply, the flame-power is concentrate particularly upon the parts to be heated, and the radiation through the liquid and the consequent reduction of heat 1s liquid in the reservoir consequently avoided, this feature also revailing in regard to the ejector tube in W 'ch the liquid temperature will not be decreased on account ofthe air tube 27. 4

Means are provided for resisting any upward movement of the air-chamber 26 and ejector tube 35 during the pumping) operation, these means consisting-pre era ly of a resilient blade 40 having an aperture to permit the free passage of the ejector tube 35 but resting on top ofthe air tube 27 (see Fig; 1), both ends of said blade being in engagement with the bottom plate 12 of the percolator-cup 11, which may have two or more projections 41 adapted to ass below the rim 10 ofthe reservoir 10, so t at in this manner the cup 11 as well asthe air chamber 28 with its tubes 27 and 35 will be held in position in the reservoir.

I claim 1. The combination, with a reservoir having at its bottom a cup) separated from the y an air space, of a said cu and coperative therewith to rm a sea ed air chamber, a conduit rojectin below the top-plate of said hoo for permitting a ow of l1 uid from the reservoir into said cup, and a apted to be sealed by the rise of the liquid in said cup, and an ejector tube having an air tight connection with said hood and having its lower hood covering opening at a level below the lower end of said conduit, whereby the hood air-space will be maintained.

2. The combination, with a reservoir having at its bottom a cu separated from the liquid in the reservoir y an air space, of a hood covering said cup, a conduit for permitting the flow of liquid from the reservoir into said cup, and an ejector tube having an air tight connection with and enterin said cup and terminating at its lower en at a level below said conduit whereby the air space between the liquid in the cup and that in the reservoir will be preserved.

.3. The combination, with a reservoir having at its bottom a cu separated from the liquid in the reservoir y an air space, of a secondary chamber disposed below said cup but opening thereinto, a conduit for admittin liquid from the reservoir into the cup, an an ejector tube, having an air tight connection with and projectin into said cup and having its terminusnbeownthe leveljof said conduit, and adjacent the openin into said secondary chamber whereby the iquid in the secondary chamber, when heated, will be projected directly into saidtube.

4. The combination, with a reservoir having at itsbottom a cup separated from the liquid in the vessel by an air space, and means for permitting the passage of liquid from the reservoir into said cup, of an ejector tube projecting intov saidV cup and having at its lower end an air chamber for limiting the quantity of liquid to be heated in said cup, and an air tube terminating in said chamber and surrounding said ejector tube, for isolating said ejector tube from the liquid in the reservoir.

5. The combination of a reservoir, havin at its bottom a heating chamber separate from the liquid in the reservoir by an air space, and means for permitting the passage o liquid from the reservoir into said cup, of an ejector tube terminating in said cup below the level of liquid therein, and an air tube surrounding said ejector tube and for isolating the ejector tube from the liquid in the reservoir. v V

6. The combination, with a reservoir, having at its bottom a rimary heating chamber,

and a heat-ex ose member contacting with the bottom t ereof, of a secondary heating chamber formed in said member and having a s out, and an ejector tube projecting into sai primary chamber and having its terminus adjacent the upper end of said spout, said spout havin an outlet opening which is smaller than t ve diameter of the liquid column in the tube.

7. The combination, with a reservoir, a pumpI disposed in said reservoir and comprising an ejector tube havin a shoulder, a removable ercolator cup carr1ed by said reservoir, an having projections for engaging the rim of said reservoir, of a blade sprin having an aperture to permit the passage o said tube, and resting on said shoulder, and resting with its opposite free ends against the under side of .said percolator cup, Where- ;by both, said cup and pump, will be held in position in the reservoir.

' JULIAN R. HOLLEY.

Witnesses:

CEAS. F. SoHMELz, CALIsTA V. B. HoLLEY. 

